Monday's Ask the Experts: Competitive bid

November 14, 2011

Monday''s Ask the Experts question from a cleaning professional on the International Custodial Advisors Network (ICAN) "Ask the Experts" page: I am putting in bids for vacuuming and general cleaning of hallways in apartment buildings. Average 70 apartment complex has three floors, so about 210 hallways. What is a competitive bid?

The answer:

I have seen hallways of owner occupied condos clean at over 7,000 square feet per hour. However, many of the halls were not even soiled, and only required policing with a carpet sweeper. On the other hand, a heavily soiled apartment building might take twice as long if it is misused, with soiled stairwells and smudged door glass. So, you will need to determine where this property lies within that range. If it is cleaned daily, the labor will be ... — Gary Clipperton, president of National Pro Clean Corp.